


Back Over the Edge

by RelentlassHuggerSquad



Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Beth is his sunshine, Edge is kind of a ball of angst, F/M, Soulmates, star-crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23521003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelentlassHuggerSquad/pseuds/RelentlassHuggerSquad
Summary: When Adam Copeland was forced to retire from WWE, he thought he lost it all. Almost three years later, Adam was offered a chance to train the next generation down at the WWE performance center. Now not only is he being thrust back into the business that broke his heart, but he's on a collision course with the woman that might have been his greatest 'what-if'.Beth Phoenix has been retired from active WWE competition for a while. She's carved out a nice little niche for herself commentating on NXT and helping train the future of the business. What she isn't counting on, is for Adam Copeland to come crashing back into her life.
Relationships: Edge/Beth Phoenix
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NightsLikeThis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightsLikeThis/gifts).



Adam Copeland had always loved wrestling, it was the one thing he had been passionate about. It didn’t matter the injuries, wrestling was like the siren always calling out to him. Then one day it had been taken away from him, ripped from his tight knuckled grip. 

He had felt angry of course, bitter that he hadn’t been allowed to go out on his own terms. Wrestling was something that had grounded him and having to face the harsh reality that it wasn’t in the cards any longer had broken Adam. Being ‘Edge’ was as close to being a rockstar and a superhero as he had ever gotten, it had taken a long time to recover from that heartbreak. 

Slowly Adam had found his footing outside of the ring, he had learned to love acting and while it wasn’t totally the same, he had done his best to carve out a decently happy life. However, he found himself answering the phone when his former boss Vince McMahon called. Two years after being forced to retire, Vince had come up with a new way for Adam to be involved in the company. 

Vince had pitched the idea of Adam being a coach for NXT and the Orlando Performance Center, explaining that a lot of the new recruits could learn from the WWE Hall of Famer Edge. The rejection of Vince’s offer was already on Adam’s lips when he hesitated. It sucked that his dream had been ripped away, but there was still a lot he could offer the next generation. Adam had always been a great ring general, he could see matches and lay them out in a way that nobody else could. He had a great mind for the business and he wanted to add to it. Two years of sulking had been more than enough, so he had agreed to Vince’s job offer.

Then Vince had told him who he would be working with. That Adam would be working hand-in-hand with a female former colleague who was also a hall-of-Famer. At first, Adam had assumed it might be Trish or Lita, but then Vince had rocked his world once again by telling him it would be Beth Phoenix. 

There had always been something intimidating about Beth, physically in the ring she was intimidating, but backstage she had always been a bit shy. The men respected her because she took no crap, but she also kept to herself. There seemed to be a fire inside of her that was attractive and scary at the same time. She was so passionate about the business almost on the same level as him, but there was also a tender side. Adam saw it in the way she took care of the other women in the locker room. She never talked down to the other women but she expected them to rise to each and every challenge.

Adam and Beth hadn’t really worked all that close together during his time in the ring, but on the last night of his career, he had felt a weird spark. He had wanted to blame it on the rush of emotions, but for a brief moment, he had considered asking her out. Of course, the moment had been ruined by his best friend Christian dragging him from the ring and demanding that they all go to the bar and drink to celebrate. 

In the two years that he had been out of the business, Beth had also retired and started a gig commentating for NXT. She had been inducted into the hall of fame and while he hadn’t attended that particular event, Christian had filled him in that Beth’s outfit had been stunning. His buddy hadn't failed to mention that Beth had also asked about him and seemed disappointed that he hadn't attended.

Adam was nervous about his new gig coaching and building the next generation of talent, but a piece of him was even more nervous now that he knew he was going to be working with Beth. He had lost his own fire, but he wondered if the fire inside of her still burned as beautifully. 

Christian had mentioned in passing that Beth was always around training the future superstars and that he was willing to put in a good word for him. Every time though Adam had turned him down, he didn't think it was fair to Beth to try to pursue something when his heart wasn't in the business anymore. Now that he had accepted Vince's offer, the wheels in his head were turning. Fate had already taken away one of the things he loved most, maybe fate was trying to pay him back by putting him and Beth in a potential collision course. Adam couldn't say for sure if that was going to happen, but for the first time in over two years, he felt something stirring inside of him: Hope. 

\----

“Why do you look like you’re going to throw up? Are you sick? Do you not like your salad?”

Beth scowled and lightly batted away Natalya’s hand from her forehead. “I’m not sick Nattie. I’m just distracted I guess.” Beth conceded with a small sigh. 

When the former Divas champion wasn’t commentating on NXT, she had taken to training with the other athletes at the performance center. In another life Beth felt like she might have been a school teacher, she had endless patience, which was why she had jumped at the chance when Vince offered her a position at the performance center. She loved working out and helping others. 

However that morning she had received a text from NXT and the Performance center’s head coach Matt Bloom telling her that she would be working with another Hall-Of-Famer. There had been rumors that a former WWE star was going to start teaching classes at the performance center. Coach Bloom had confirmed those rumors and had let her know that the superstar was Edge. 

“What’s got you distracted Beth? I haven’t seen your kettle this unsettled since you retired.” Nattie said giving her an amused smile. “And before that was when you said goodbye to Adam.”

The shocked look that crossed Beth’s face, gave Nattie all the information that the Canadian needed. Nattie began to laugh and just shook her head, ignoring the glare that Beth shot her way. 

“Settle your tea kettle, Neidhart,” Beth grumbled, scoffing in frustration. Ten years of friendship and it felt like Nattie could read her far too easily. When Beth’s reaction only made Nattie laugh harder, Beth buried her face into her hands. “I really hate you sometimes.”

“No you don’t, I am your favorite.” Nattie quipped back, wiping the tears from her eyes. It was rare that she got to tease Beth about anything. “So you’ve been thinking about Adam again?” She asked. 

Nattie had been there on the road right alongside Beth, watching the Glamazon pine over the Rated-R Superstar. Nattie, of course, had TJ, but she had understood Adam’s appeal. She had witnessed the heart-eyes Beth got whenever Adam complimented her on a match or offered a suggestion on how to do a move better. 

“I know I shouldn’t, it’s been over two years since we even saw each other.” Beth sighed, feeling as though she was being ridiculous. It wasn’t fair that the thought of being in the same room as Adam again had butterflies pounding in her chest. 

Nattie arched a brow. “Wow, it sounds serious. What brought him back into your focus?” Nattie asked casually. She had invited Beth to lunch so they could talk about life and catch up, but it appeared to her that her best friend was in desperate need of a tea-spilling session. 

Beth shifted uncomfortably in her seat and pushed her salad away. She glanced around the tiny restaurant making sure nobody was listening, before leaning in close to Nattie. “Adam is going to be one of the new coaches at the Performance Center. Bloom texted me this morning saying that Adam would be working with me.”

“Wow, I definitely didn’t see that one coming. Adam Copeland back in WWE after two years.” Nattie said sitting back stunned. 

“Shhh keep your voice down, and honestly it’s been closer to three not that I’m counting or anything,” Beth muttered, waving a hand at Nattie to try and get the usually loud superstar to lower her voice. 

Nattie was surprised about the news, but now she was curious about a different aspect of it. “Well, maybe fate is giving you a second chance with Adam. I mean you almost had a moment the night he retired. Who is to say you can’t seize the moment now. You’ll be working together right?”

Beth shrugged her shoulders, suddenly finding the table cloth more interesting to look at than her friend’s searching gaze. “I mean I assume we’ll be working pretty closely together. I mean I don’t want to get my hopes up, he might not even be single.” 

Nattie pulled out her phone and smiled. “Well, one way to find out. I could ask TJ or even Christian. He owes me a favor anyways.” She said starting to type out the text. 

Beth about lunged over the table and grabbed Nattie’s phone looking positively horrified. “No! No, we are not texting Christian.” She said, shaking her head. 

“Oh gosh, you do have it bad for him babe. I give you a week before you’re drooling on him.” Nattie said, almost feeling slightly bad for her friend. Nattie herself had been with TJ since she was a young teenager, but she could relate to her friend’s butterflies and nerves. 

Beth’s face flushed and she slumped in her seat, cursing Vince McMahon for bringing Adam Copeland back into her social orbit. It had been easier to deny her feelings as a fluke with him not around, but she already knew that seeing him was just going to stir them all back up again. 

"I am not going to drool on him," Beth argued, mentally kicking herself for the one time she had gotten drunk and confessed her feelings about Edge to Nattie. "That only happened in a dream."

Nattie just smiled smugly at her older friend. "What else happened in those dreams, Beth?"

"You're so annoying," Beth whined, pouting across the table at her friend. "What am I going to do when I see him tomorrow?" 

Nattie sat up straight, if there was one thing she enjoyed, it was giving advice. "Tomorrow when he shows up, you're going to knock his socks off. Offer to show him around the area, play it cool. Ask him to grab a coffee and you can tell him about some fo the trainees at the Performance Center. You can do it under the guise of team building since you'll be working together." 

Beth didn't look so certain. "What if he's seeing somebody though? I am not looking to mess anything up." 

"Oh gosh, stop being such a worrywart. You're trying to be his friend and reestablish a connection, not jump him in the ring." Nattie replied, rolling her eyes. 

If it was possible Beth's face turned a deeper shade of red. She loved Nattie but she sometimes hated just how crude her friend could get. "You're such a brat." 

"That's a distinct possibility, but you'll thank me later. I can be the maid of honor at your wedding." Nattie said proudly, barely dodging the straw wrapper that Beth threw her way. 

\----

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Adam asked staring down at Christian. He was supposed to be helping Jay count his reps in the hotel gym, but he was lost in his own world panicking a little bit. 

Christian grunted, straining to keep lifting the bar. "I don't know man, why don't you ask me later." Christian panted, finally getting the bar back up high enough to place it on the hooks. "Come on man, where is your head at? I don't know about you, but I think this is a great idea." He said wiping the sweat from his brow as he sat up and turned to look at Adam. 

"What if I've lost all my mojo and I'm not a good teacher? I want to make the business better, not worse." Adam wasn't usually the type to be uncertain. No matter what he did, he always gave a hundred percent. There were definitely some nerves when it came to being involved with the WWE again. 

Christian eyed his best friend and then stood up, none too gently smacking him on the back. "You gotta lighten up man. You are not going to single-handly sink the business by giving a rookie some bad advice. I doubt you would even do that, you're a legend man. People look up to you, you've done so many great things and have so much to teach them. What's really got you all freaked out?" They had been friends almost all their lives and Christian knew how to read Adam better than most. 

"I guess I am nervous to see Beth again. Everything is just falling into place so fast and I feel like I have a bit of whiplash. Wrestling got taken from me, and now here I am back in this world. What if I mess up?" Adam asked, searching his friend's face for any sign of dishonesty. 

"Man, that's part of the job. We mess up and we learn from it. You aren't going to be Mr. Miyagui your very first day, but that doesn't mean you should quit. As far as Beth goes, life has a funny way of bringing you full circle. Maybe try and actually get to know her this time." Christian suggested, giving his friend what he hoped was a nudge in the right direction. 

"We both know relationships in this business don't tend to work out that well. They usually come with an expiration date and after what happened with Amy..." Adam trailed off, cringing as he remembered how badly that had blown up in his face. 

"Come on dude, Beth is definitely not Amy, and I'd like to think you've grown up a little bit since then. Give it a shot and if it doesn't work then at least you don't have a bunch of what-ifs floating around your head and your heart." Christian advised, before punching Adam in the shoulder. "At the very least ask her to coffee so I don't have to worry about you dropping a barbell on my chest again."

Adam laughed and punched Christian right back equally hard in the shoulder. "Alright, I guess it won't hurt to give it a try. The worst she can say is no?"

Christian scowled and rubbed his now sore arm. "I doubt she would say no to the Rated-R Superstar. She had mad heart eyes for you back then. Just take it a day at a time and see how it all plays out." He advised with a wink. "Now go get some sleep prince charming, Beth is strong but I doubt she'd want to lift those bags under your eyes." 

"You're such a dick," Adam said good-natured, lightly shoving his best friend. "I'll see you tomorrow then I guess and let you know how it all goes."

"You'll be fine killer, just remember to wear deodorant and brush your teeth. Girls like that crap where it looks like you actually tried on your appearance." Christian called watching Adam leave, laughing when he got flipped off in return. He knew once his friend's squashed all that nervous energy, he'd end up being just fine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and Adam deal with his first day back at work, and seem to have a misunderstanding.

Adam had always lived by the motto that if you aren't early to your job, then you're late. Even though his hall of fame career could speak for itself, he still wanted to make a good impression. If he was going to teach the rookies anything, he wanted it to be a healthy respect for the business. He had broken bones, torn muscles, traveled countless miles, and bled for the professional wrestling business, and he wasn't going to let anybody tear it down. 

Which was why he showed up a good hour before the recruits got there and began to explore the performance center. He smiled politely at Coach Bloom and shook his hand, before smiling at Sara Amato and introducing himself to her. Some of the other coaches weren't in yet and he hadn't spotted Beth, but the employees that were there, he took the time to shake their hands. 

"When Vince told me you were going to join us as a coach, I didn't believe him," Sara said before she gave a half-shrug. "I am really glad you're here though, welcome to the team." 

"There are a lot of good candidates in this class. We have a lot of powerful and explosive talent, I think there are a few that have star potential written all over them." Coach Bloom bellowed as he led Adam over to a picture on the wall of their current class. "There are a couple of troublemakers, but I am sure you can put them through their paces." 

Adam listened and then nodded slowly. "I can't wait to work with them, as far as putting them through their paces that might have to be your job." Adam wasn't sure his body could handle the bumps and taking moves from rookies who weren't prepared. 

"You always did cut the best promos, one of the most passionate people I've ever seen on the mic." 

Adam turned quickly and found himself face to face with Beth Pheonix. The glamazon was dressed in a grey t-shirt and sweat pants, her hair tied back and away from her face. The eyes that had haunted his memories were now staring him down. 

"That's high praise," Adam said after he finally found his voice, a deep blush had settled on his face. He cleared his throat and extended a hand towards Beth. "It's good to see you again." 

Beth eyed his hand but quickly shook it and nodded. "You as well Adam. I think the Performance Center is really going to thrive with your help. A lot of the performers have cited you as their inspiration so it'll be a nice surprise to have you around."

Coach Bloom looked between the two Hall-of-Famers and raised a brow, sensing the tension between them. "Beth, why don't you show Adam around." 

"Ok, um sure thing. Follow me, Copeland." Beth said, gesturing for him to follow after her. "So what made you want to work here? At the Performance Center, I mean." 

Adam followed after her, keeping about half a pace behind. "Well, you know how Vince gets, when he comes calling, you had better answer the phone. He's very persuasive." 

Beth laughed and just shook her head. "That's true, alright first stop on the tour the locker rooms. That's pretty self-explanatory, but there's a lot of showers and they actually have hot water."

"Oh praise Jesus. I would hate for the rookies to have to struggle as we did." Adam joked sarcastically. It felt nice to be able to banter with Beth, he hadn't forgotten how easy she was to talk to. "I think those cold showers built character." 

“There were so many unwritten rules of the locker room when I first joined. The older veterans got the best spots on the bus and in the women’s locker room. I mean it was rare that they tried to pick a fight with me, but I just wanted their respect, you know?” Beth sighed softly, thinking back on sharing the locker room with Victoria, Michelle McCool, Layla, Mickie, and Melina. 

Adam studied her for a moment and then lightly patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her without invading her bubble space. “Everybody I have ever talked to only has good things to say about you. You were loved by everybody backstage, even the boys liked you. Ric could never shut up about how respectful you were and how you’d always be willing to take a bump. Plus Santino sang your praises and was always talking about how you were his favorite road buddy.” 

A genuine smile crossed Beth’s face as she thought of Santino. “He had me in stitches half the time, he was so funny. I loved working with him, it was never a boring night.” 

“So what else is on this tour?” Adam asked curiously. 

“Well you see the seven different rings we have set up. It allows for a bunch of different sessions to take place. We have massive amounts of different equipment and technology to help the rookies train. State of the art medical to help our wrestlers with rehabbing injuries. We have some office spaces for meetings and promos classes. It’s a really impressive place.” Beth explained, showing Adam around to the different locations in the building.

Adam laughed when they got to the storage room with all the ladders. “Oh look it’s my old nemesis.” He said patting out of the ladders. 

Beth laughed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t be getting any ideas, Adam, we’re not going to encourage the rookies to have ladder matches any time soon.” 

“Killjoy.” Adam chided playfully before his expression grew serious. “I am really excited to be working with you, Beth. I really meant it when I said it’s good to see you.” 

Beth could feel butterflies threatening to explode from her ribcage. She smiled shyly and shrugged. “I’m excited about the chance to work with you two. I think we’ll make quite the team. Anyways, I think you need to get ready the rookies will be here soon and I doubt you want them fawning over you in the locker room when you’re trying to get dressed.” 

“Yeah...I’d rather not have them staring at me while I’m naked and trying to ask me questions. I’ll catch up with you in a bit then.” Adam gave her a warm smile and then turned heading towards the locker room, leaving a blushing Glamazon in his wake. 

\--------

“So you and Adam, when did that become a thing?” Sara Amato asked, a knowing look in her eyes as she watched Beth pick at her plate of food. “I was sensing a lot of chemistry between the two of you.”

Beth felt her face flushing for what felt like the tenth time that day. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. We’re just coworkers, besides we’re both focused on the students and helping them get better. I saw Bianca making a lot of progress” Beth said trying to deflect and change the conversation.

Sara scoffed a little bit and shook her head. “You can try and deny it, but he was watching you a lot today.” 

“Of course he was, I have more experience training these rookies. He was probably just trying to get a read on how everything works.” Beth replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn’t feeling so hungry anymore. 

She had really enjoyed working the morning sessions with Adam, he was insightful and had a good eye for the business. While he physically couldn’t do a lot of the in-ring stuff, he had been quick to call out pointers to try and help. She had appreciated that, because the future superstars looked up to Adam and wanted to impress him, so they were eager to make the adjustments that he suggested.

“Do you think he likes you?” Sara asked casually, trying to get a read on Beth. She had never known the glamazon to really be the bashful type around men. 

“There is always a possibility that he might, but who really knows,” Beth replied. She hadn’t taken the time to really evaluate if Edge had those same feelings for her. Adam seemed like the type of man who played his personal feelings really close to the chest. 

“Why don’t you take the initiative and maybe ask him out for coffee?” Sara suggested, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. 

Beth considered this for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose I could but I don’t want to make things awkward with him.” Beth knew that they’d be working a lot together and she didn’t want pesky feelings getting in the way. Feelings for a coworker could definitely be a complication, she knew that from having been married before. 

“Just keep it to neutral topics, maybe just ask him out for drinks after work.” Sara was clearly trying to do her best to be a fill-in wing person for Beth. It was enough to remind the WWE legend that Nattie would be telling her the same thing. 

“Okay, okay I’ll ask him.” Beth decided, trying to work up the courage. Being around Adam always had her feeling slightly off-kilter. She just hoped she wouldn’t embarrass herself like the last time.

\------

Adam was putting away his gear in the back of his car and reflecting on his first day back at work when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Beth approaching. He shut the tailgate to his truck and turned to face her, a small quizzical smile on his face. 

“Hey, you leaving?” Beth asked, internally cringing at her awkwardness. She was off to a horrible start at not embarrassing herself. 

Adam chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I figured I would head home. It’s nice to be back around some old friends, but I forgot how tiring working out could be.” He joked, rubbing his shoulder. He was actually sore because he had spent the better part of his afternoon class teaching them proper lifting techniques. 

“It’s great to have you back. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to grab a drink, I figured we could maybe discuss some stuff about the class or just catch up.” Beth rocked back on her heels. 

"I don't know Beth..." Adam hesitated a moment, he did want to hang out with Beth but he felt like he smelled disgusting and he was tired. “Could we maybe get that drink this Friday? I honestly stink and believe me I want to spend time with you, I’d rather just not be tired when we catch up.” 

Even though he hadn’t meant it as a rejection, it still stung like one. “Right,” Beth said, giving him an awkward thumbs up. “Friday it is.” 

Adam seemed to realize that she had misunderstood him, but before he could explain that it wasn’t what he meant Beth was already moving away from him. “We could grab dinner too on Friday if you wanted.” 

An uneasy smile seemed to make its way onto Beth’s face. “No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll just see you tomorrow for work Adam.” She gave him a small nod and then fled to her car. 

She was mentally kicking herself for listening to Sara and putting herself out there. Her mind was flashing back to almost three years earlier during the last few days of Adam being on the roster. She had tried to talk to him then, to ask him out, but he hadn’t been in the right frame of mind. He had just lost his career and Beth hadn’t wanted to take advantage of that. 

Beth was feeling a little sick to her stomach now, her heart hurting at his rejection. She had been stupid enough to let Nattie and Sara give her hope. She climbed into her car and locked the doors, ready to just take her ball and go home. It would be better to just be Adam’s coworker than trying to make anything happen. She felt foolish for having believed that somebody like him could ever see somebody like her as anything other than one of the boys.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam attempts to make things up to Beth, with an assist from Christian.

“Man I think I screwed up,” Adam whined as he flopped face down on to Christian’s couch. “God I’m such an idiot.”

“You screw up all the time, what else is new? You’re going to have to be more specific.” Christian deadpanned with a smug grin. 

Adam groaned and threw a pillow at his best friend’s face. “I think I messed up with Beth the other day. Keep up!”

Christian swatted the pillow, deflecting it from hitting his face. “Okay, okay. What did you do exactly that made you think that you messed up so badly?” He asked curiously. He wasn’t used to seeing Adam being this mopey about a girl. Normally Adam was the smooth one and Christian was the one who needed advice, so it was nice to see a change in the roles. 

“She asked me out for drinks, and I kind of told her to wait until Friday. I just wanted to come home and shower, but I think she took it as me not liking her.” Adam explained, running his fingers through his hair. “Man, women are so complicated.” 

“Yes, yes they are,” Christian admitted with a shrug. He studied Adam for a second and then cleared his throat. “Did you try to clarify?” 

“Well I had already stuck my foot in my mouth, I didn’t want to make it worse. But I think that ignoring it made it worse because she hardly talked to me today. It was like there was always somebody else in the room so we couldn’t have that discussion.” Adam couldn’t blame the rookies for wanting to constantly be learning from him and Beth, but he had hoped that he might find a minute alone with her. It just hadn’t happened that day. 

“She could be avoiding you.” Christian shrugged. He had never known Beth Phoenix to avoid her problems. She was respectful, yes, but she was also the sort to confront issues head-on rather than letting them boil under the surface. “Why don’t you just text her and ask her to come over to dinner. You could cook for her.” 

Adam hesitated, he didn’t want to make Beth feel uncomfortable. “What if that makes her angrier, what if she feels I'm being all hot and cold. Women really don't like that.” 

Christian groaned and lightly punched his friend in the arm. “You are overthinking it. Just invite her to dinner, the worst that she can say is no.” 

Adam tilted his head to the side. “I don’t even know what to make her on such short notice.” 

Getting to his feet, Christian marched over to the cabinet. He rummaged through the contents and pulled out a couple of different soup mixes “Here, take these and then go to your house and make her a meal.” 

“I don’t have a house. I am still living in a hotel room. That's not entirely romantic and she might think I'm trying to be sleazy which I'm not.” Adam pointed out, staring blankly at Christian. 

“Must I do everything for you?” Christian rolled his eyes. He walked back over to Adam and snatched his phone. Quickly typing out a message he handed it back to his friend. “I sent her a message inviting her to dinner at that Italian place down the street from the Performance Center. Now go shower and go meet her.”

“She hasn’t said yes yet! I don't want to be presumptuous.” Adam protested. 

Christian pinned him with a glare. “I doubt you even know the meaning of that word, besides Beth, will totally say yes! She likes you, you idiot. Now go do as I say, I’m not your fairy godmother and I can’t fix all your problems!” Christian grumbled, shoving Adam to the shower. “Though I will loan you a nice outfit because let’s be honest your style is trash.” 

“Hey!” Adam growled, glaring right back at his friend. “That’s uncalled for.” 

“Just get in the shower,” Christian muttered, shoving him into the bathroom and then slamming the door shut so he didn’t have to hear Adam’s whining anymore. 

\----

Beth was feeling a little bit uncertain, but she had forced herself to show up to the restaurant. Both Nattie and Sara had encouraged her to hear Adam out, although she had a sneaking suspicion that Adam was only inviting her out to let her down gently. Somehow the idea of that was even more humiliating. 

Nevertheless, she had done her makeup and wore a nice blouse and some jeans, even taking the time to lightly curl her hair. She wanted to look like she had put effort into her outfit without being too overly dressed up. Apparently Adam had been thinking the same thing since he was dressed in a flannel shirt and some jeans of his own. 

Beth slowly rose to her feet and forced a smile. “Hey, it’s nice to see you again.” 

“Yeah, I felt like I hardly saw you at all today,” Adam admitted, letting his gaze roam over her in an appreciative glance. “You look lovely Beth.” 

Beth ducked her head shyly, her cheeks flushing red. “You look nice as well Adam. Very handsome.” 

“Would you believe Christian helped me pick out this outfit. He's a good wingman, anyways shall we sit?” Adam moved to pull out her chair for her, ignoring the fact that she had already been sitting when he got there. He wanted things to go smoothly between them and he knew it would only happen if he did things the right way. 

“I was surprised to get your text message.” Beth began slowly. She chanced a quick glance at him before staring at the menu in front of her. She had already decided on what she wanted, but it was easier to focus on that, then the man across the table. 

“To be honest it was Christian that texted you, but he was trying to help me out,” Adam said quickly, rushing to get it all out there. He didn’t want to have any secrets between them, honesty was very important to the veteran superstar. 

Beth raised a brow but still didn’t look at him. “Christian was trying to help you out? Why?” 

Adam took a deep breath, debating the pros and cons of blatantly expressing his feelings. “He was trying to help me out because I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time and I just didn’t want to blow it.” 

“You didn’t seem to want to go to dinner the other day though.” Beth protested. She was trying to process the fact that he had said that he liked her. Twice.

“Because I was all sweaty and gross. You deserve the first date to be like this! In a restaurant where I don’t look gross and homeless.” Adam gave a nervous chuckle trying to put his feelings in a more explainable place. 

Thankfully he was saved from word vomiting anymore by the arrival of their waitress. He ordered what he wanted to drink and eat, anxiously waiting for Beth to do the same before he ran a hand through his hair. 

Beth studied him as the waitress walked away, she had never known him to be nervous or shy but it was kind of cute. “I like you too and even if you did look disheveled the other day you’ve always been handsome to me,” Beth said, trying to meet him halfway. She could tell it was taking a lot out of him to be vulnerable. 

Adam’s head shot up, his eyes widening. “Wait really? I feel like I must be dreaming. Is this real life, because I'm starting to question it.”

“Totally. I’ve liked you for years, Adam. I’ve been wanting to go out with you, but I thought I blew my chance when you retired.” Beth admitted, a deep blush settling on her cheek. 

“I would have asked you out sooner if I had known that. I’ve liked you just as long too.” Adam wanted to kick himself for waiting for so long. As much as Christian taking his phone earlier had irritated him, he was thankful now for his friend taking the initiative. “I guess I owe Chrisitan a drink.” 

“I probably owe him one too,” Beth said, grateful for Adam’s best friend, she was more than willing to buy him a drink for his help. “Nattie and Sara have both been trying to get me to make a move and ask you on a date.”

“Well depending on if you enjoy this date, maybe we could go on a second one?” Adam asked, looking hopeful. He felt chemistry with Beth, that he hadn't felt with anybody else. There was such a light-heartedness with her. 

Beth cracked a smile of her own. “I think that could probably be arranged. If you play your cards right on this date, maybe this will be the first of many.” 

Adam was absolutely beaming now. “Well, I’ve been told I know how to make the most of an opportunity. Prepare to have your socks knocked off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my friend Hunter for being super supportive. You should all check out his stories and send him some love. He's great!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These idiots are in love, just accept it xD

“Character work is very important, you have to be invested in what you’re selling, otherwise the audience isn’t going to believe anything. You need to be able to get some sort of reaction, whether it’s good or bad. The worst thing that can happen to you, is to not have the audience react at all.” Adam said as he paced in front of his students. He had been giving a lecture on the importance of having a character that the fans could react too. Across the gym, he could see Beth training some of the other students in proper weightlifting techniques, and for a moment he forgot how to breathe. 

Ever since their date, the blonde Glamazon had occupied a lot of his thoughts. There was an extra pep in Adam’s step, whenever she was around. There was just something so special about her, that he didn’t know how to put his finger on it. Beth made him feel like he was flying. 

“Coach you are drool over Phoenix again. Just go kiss her or something, before you slip on the drool and injure yourself again.” Velveteen Dream called from his seat in front of Edge. The NXT superstar was clearly amused by Adam’s reaction. 

Adam shook his head and focused on the young superstar. “I am not drooling and respect your elders, kid.” He insisted, before crossing his arms over his chest. “What makes your character so interesting, how do you connect with the fans?” Adam asked, desperate for a conversation change. 

For the rest of the class, Adam did his best not to stare at Beth, he didn’t want to give his students a reason to tease him. Besides whatever was developing between the two of them was special and he wanted to keep it that way. He didn’t want other people’s comments or their speculation to get in the way. 

Beth seemed to be having the same issue, many of the girls that she was trying to train kept asking her about Edge. Bianca, in particular, kept wanting to know why Adam was checking out Beth’s backside. Beth did her best to keep her feelings under wraps, she was usually pretty private anyways. 

When the training and classes were over for the day, Adam was excited because it meant that he could talk to Beth and not have to deal with any more of his students' questions. He still waited until most of them left, before making his way over to Beth. 

“Hey I am gonna go home and shower, but do you maybe want to grab some dinner?” He asked with a hopeful smile. 

Beth didn’t even hesitate, slowly nodding. “Yeah, I think that would be fun. I could cook for you and we could watch a movie if you want too.” Beth offered. 

“Yeah, I like the sound of that. Maybe I could help you cook?” Adam offered, he wasn’t the best cook but spending quality time with Beth sounded like a lot of fun. 

“Okay, go shower then, and I’ll text you my address.” Beth smiled warmly at him. It meant a lot to her that he had offered to help cook. “I will see you later then.” 

“See you later Beth,” Adam replied, watching her get into her car and leave. 

\-----

Apparently cooking was definitely not Adam’s strong suit, but Beth didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was that horrible. Instead, she quickly tried to give him an easier task of tossing the salad and chopping veggies. She didn’t want to insult him or make him feel less than, she just appreciated him trying to help even if he did suck at it. 

He was in the middle of telling her a story about his early days on the road with Christian. “Jay and I, I swore we lived off of canned tuna and crackers for a solid month. We wanted to be the best wrestlers in the world and we were going to travel any indie circuit that we had too.” 

Beth laughed softly as she worked, peeling some potatoes. “I actually trained at that same facility.” 

“You did?” Adam asked, his eyes widening. He had actually forgotten that fact, but he supposed he shouldn’t have been so surprised. 

“I did, I trained in a lot of places. My first husband was a wrestler, he actually helped get me in the door. It didn’t work out relationship-wise, but I honestly have nothing but respect for him.” Beth knew a lot of people had stuck their necks out for her and it meant a lot. 

Adam nodded as he kept chopping up the veggies, trying to be mindful so that he wouldn’t accidentally cut his finger. “You’re a really special person.” 

Beth blinked in surprise, taken back by his compliments. It was weird to finally have his attention like this, but she wasn't complaining at all. “That’s very sweet of you to say that Adam.” 

“I am not just saying it though Beth. You’re beautiful and talented, I see the way the rookies look up to you. You’re just this amazing person.” Adam mused. 

It would probably sound silly to anybody else, but seeing Beth peeling potatoes and laughing with him in the kitchen, it made Adam’s heart squeeze painfully. He had never thought that after his injury he would be back near the business, he had been ready to shut that part of his life down. For over two years he had, but being back, being around Beth was reminding him of why he had fallen in love with wrestling in the first place. 

"You're staring at me again," Beth said, a deep blush settling on her cheeks as she continued cooking. She stuck the lasagna she was making in the oven and when she turned back around Adam had gotten closer. A lot closer. Beth's breathe caught in her throat as she collided with his chest. 

"Dance with me?" Adam asked, holding out his hand to her. 

"There's no music." Beth pointed out, her smile turning shy. 

Adam pulled his phone out of his back pocket and turned on a song. Beth burst into laughter when she realized what song was playing. "Thinking out loud? Really I didn't take you as an Ed Sheeran fan." 

The Rated-R Superstar shrugged. "I like this song. Will you dance with me?" Adam repeated, looking hopeful. 

Beth nodded and took his hand, stepping closer. She hadn't imagined that she was going to be slow-dancing with Adam in her kitchen when she woke up that morning, but something felt right about it. She laid her head on his chest, content to just dance with him. 

Adam kept his hands respectfully on her hips and side, slowly sway with her as they moved around the kitchen. He really did like this song, because some of the lyrics reminded him of Beth. He wasn't the best singer by any stretch of the imagination, but he began to hum along with the words, singing quietly to her. 

_"When your legs don't work like they used to before  
And I can't sweep you off of your feet  
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love  
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks_

_And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70  
And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23  
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways  
Maybe just the touch of a hand  
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day  
And I just wanna tell you I am"_

Beth swore her own heart was going to beat out of her chest. She had wanted him to notice her for so long back during their time as active competitors, but the timing had never worked out. Maybe it was all meant to happen like this. She lifted her head off of his chest, her gaze searching as he serenaded her. 

Adam stopped singing when he realized she was staring at him, he was thinking that perhaps his singing was too much. "I'm sorry, was it bad?" 

Beth shook her head and leaned up to brush her lips against his. "I just wanted to kiss you, was that okay?" She asked, pulling back, worried that she might have crossed a line. 

"I think I'd like to do that again, just to be sure," Adam said, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips as he leaned in to steal a kiss of his own. He kept it sweet and tender, not wanting to push for more. It had been a long time since he felt this strongly for anybody. Beth eventually pulled away and laid her head back on his chest as they dance, a content smile on her face as she heard how fast his heart was beating. She knew her own heart was probably beating just as fast and in sync with his, as he began to sing to her again. 

_"So honey now  
Take me into your loving arms  
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars  
Place your head on my beating heart  
I'm thinking out loud  
Maybe we found love right where we are"_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam gets an opportunity to get in the ring at NXT but not in the way he wants.

“Vince wants to talk to you.” Coach Bloom said as he passed Adam in the Performance Center’s locker room 

Adam, who was getting dressed in his workout gear, frowned. “I didn’t know Vince was here. Do you know what he wanted?” 

Coach Bloom shook his head and shrugged. “Vince doesn’t tell me those kinds of things. You haven’t failed any wellness tests have you?” 

“Not that I know of, I wonder what it’s about. I’ll go see I guess.” Adam finished putting his stuff away in his locker and then set off to find Vince. He was trying to rack his brain about why the boss would want to see him. He had been working hard with the NXT talent, and as far as he knew, his budding relationship with Beth was still under wraps. 

He found Vince McMahon sitting in one of the conference rooms, surrounded by some of his usual lackeys. Vince was looking as tired as usual, but his face lit up when he saw Adam. “Hey, glad you could make it,” Vince said in his usual gruff tone. 

“Bloom said that you were looking for me. Am I in trouble?” Adam asked, even after knowing Vince for the better part of two decades he still felt intimidated by being called to the office. 

Vince let out a booming laugh. “No, you aren’t in trouble. I just wanted to talk to you, Copeland. I was thinking you might do a segment of the Cutting Edge on NXT this weekend and host the Undisputed Era.” 

Adam was surprised by this since prior to signing the new contract Vince had almost strictly forbidden him from getting in the ring. Sure his physical therapy was going okay, but Adam knew that it was unlikely the WWE medical team would even clear him to take a bump. 

  
“Well, what do you say?” Vince asked again, giving Adam a look. Vince McMahon was not the type of man to ask twice and was known for holding grudges. 

“Oh, I appreciate the offer, sir. I would love to do the segment.” Adam said quickly. He had admired the worth that the Undisputed Era was doing in the ring, they really were the apex of the division.

Vince beamed at him. “Glad to know you’re on board. Quite frankly I don’t think you’ll have to do much except promo work. The other performers know not to put their hands on you. Can't risk you getting another injury, old man.” 

That ruffled Adam’s feathers a little bit, but he tried to push it down. Vince was just trying to protect himself and the company in case Adam got hurt, but it still bothered him that he couldn’t wrestle. There wasn’t anything that Adam wanted more than to wrestle, to be able to go out on his own terms, but if all he got was to do promo work, then he’d try and cherish it. Being in front of the fans never got old, but it still burned him up inside that a lot of the WWE Universe just looked at him with pity.

“I’ll be watching you, Copeland. Good luck.” Vince said before turning to his associates, clearly dismissing Adam. 

Adam plastered a fake smile on his face as he exited the room. He wasn’t sure how to feel about everything and he just wanted to clear his head. He figured he’d call Christian and maybe his friend would have some advice. 

\----

Christian had seen many sides of Adam and the sulky version of his friend remained his least favorite. Once again Adam was staked out on his couch, but thankfully this time it wasn’t over girl issues. From what Christian had been able to gather, Adam’s fledgling relationship with the Glamazon seemed to be going decently well. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you, or are you going to just keep moping?” Christian asked, finally turning to face his friend. 

Adam frowned and shook his head. “It’s stupid.” 

“Well clearly even if it is stupid, it’s still bothering you. So spit it out, what’s got you all up in a twist?” Christian was going to keep asking him until Adam spit it out. He wanted to support his best friend but also fast forward through all the sulking and moodiness. 

“Vince wants me to do the cutting edge during an NXT show. I mean it’ll be great to see some of the boys in action, but it’s just a reminder that I can’t wrestle. He won’t even let me do a spot with them.” Adam knew it sounded petulant, but it was like giving a whiff of a chocolate chip cookie to a starving man and then yanking it away before they could take a bite.

Christian listened to that and then nodded. He could empathize with Adam, he had been medically disqualified from competing in the ring too, but he had made his peace with it. “Did you think about telling him no?” 

Adam snorted at that. “Nobody gets away with telling Vince no.” There weren’t many people he had seen get away with it.

“Then don’t tell him no.” Christian shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t sure what Adam wanted him to really say. “Look man I know you’re bummed about your career and that’s a totally valid reaction. There’s not much you can do to change the doctor’s mind about clearing you, but you can go out there on NXT and be the rated-r superstar we all know and love. Cut the promo and remind the newbies just who they are sharing the ring with.” 

Adam thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Alright, that’s a good point. Maybe I’ll do that.” Adam said. He gave his friend a grateful smile and tried to see the positive side of things. “Maybe I’ll get to ride to the arena with Beth, that’d be cool.”

“See it’s not so bad when you think of the positives,” Christian said, before pointing to the door. “Now go pack your bags and call your girlfriend. It’s her turn to put up with you sulking.” Christian was teasing of course, but it did get Adam off of his couch. 

“You’ll miss me someday,” Adam warned with a rueful grin. 

“Yep, but today is not that day. Get going, Copeland.” Christian said, chucking a pillow at the door as Adam left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are staying safe out there. I love you all.


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re being awfully quiet,” Beth said, glancing over at Adam. They had been driving to the NXT taping, but Adam had been lost in his own head. 

“I’m just thinking is all,” Adam replied, shifting his gaze toward Beth. He had been staring out the window, trying to think about how he was going to run his Cutting Edge show. He wanted to make the Undespituted Era look good, but he wasn’t sure how to do that yet.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Beth wasn’t going to push him, but she wanted him to be aware of the fact that she could be a shoulder for him to lean on. Their relationship was still new and Beth was trying to access where the boundary line was. She didn't want to baby him, but she also wanted to make it known that she had his back no matter what. 

Adam shook his head. “I don’t know, I just wish I could be involved physically in the show, but I’m not cleared. Vince is never going to sign off on it.”

Beth pursed her lips, the wheels spinning in her mind. “Why don’t you talk to Hunter, I am sure there is a way you can get involved without having to be physical. Maybe some pushing or something. Who knows, maybe you could be involved in the finish of their match.”

“That’s actually a really good idea, thank you, Beth,” Adam said, smiling at her. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “You’re pretty great, you know that?”

Beth blushed and shrugged. “I could stand to be told more often.” She said, before winking.

The formerly Rated-R Superstar couldn't deny how much he valued Beth's input and the way she could read the business. A lot of people spoke about his ring IQ, but Beth wasn't a slacker either. Adam had been paying attention to her announcing career in NXT and how she had taken what she knew from the ring and used that to her advantage. Her passion for the business seemed to bleed through with every word she said on commentary, and Adam really admired that about her.

"Well, I guess I need to make sure I tell you more often then. Beth, you are one of the kindest, smartest, most beautiful, genuinely lovely to be around, human beings I have ever met. You inspire me to be the best version of myself, so thank you." Adam replied, staring straight at her. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her cheeks flush a cute shade of pink. 

Beth was blushing hard and thankful that she had to focus on the road, otherwise she was certain that she'd have leaped across the car to kiss him. It was almost unfair the way that he could give her butterflies and leave her feeling breathless. "You're a smooth talker," Beth mumbled after a long pause. 

Adam just chuckled and shrugged. "They did call me the ultimate opportunist." He joked. 

When they arrived at the WWE Performance Center, they had to go their separate ways. Beth had to go to a commentary meeting with the writers of the show and discuss some important pre-show things, which left Adam by himself as he went to find the Undisputed Era. He found Cole, O'Reilly, Fish, and Strong hanging out by the ring. 

"Hey boys." Adam greeted, nodding to each of them in turn. 

"How is it going bro?" Roderick Strong asked, with a respectful smile.

"I can't really complain. I am excited to be in the ring interviewing you all tonight. I wish it was under some different circumstances, I would have loved to mix it up with you all." Adam said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He didn't want to come across as the needy veteran who was stuck in the past, pining over the glory days.

Cole nodded in understanding. "Hey, trust us we get it. I am pretty sure everybody in that locker room would kill to be on the receiving end of a spear from Edge."

Adam laughed, flattered that they were at least trying to make him feel better. "Is there anything you need help with, anything you want me to hit on during the Cutting Edge? I know Vince is pretty strict about me not having any physical contact, but I think I could maybe get Hunter to okay something. It wouldn't be big, but maybe a punch to the gut at the very least."

Cole exchanged looks with his stablemates, before nodding to Adam. "Sure maybe a punch to the gut. Then I could pretend to go for the last shot, which would lead to some of the boys backstage making the save."

"I like that idea, I'll go pitch it to Hunter and see what he says. I'll get back to you." Adam promised. For the first time in a while, he was starting to feel excited. It meant a lot to him that the boys were trying to find creatives ways to still make him feel included and not just out of pity. 

Making his way backstage, Adam found Triple H going over a couple of production details with the camera crew. Adam waited for him to finish before clearing his throat. 

"Do you have a second to talk?" Adam asked trying to act casual.

Hunter smirked and shrugged. "For you, I have two seconds. What's up, man?"

"Look I know I'm not cleared to compete or really do anything physical. But I was wondering if for the Cutting Edge segment if I could maybe let the Undisputed Era sucker punch me in the gut. It would get them some nuclear heel heat." Adam suggested, trying to pitch the idea in a way that would make Hunter go for it.

"I don't know man, Vince isn't going to like that..." Hunter trailed off, looking a bit skeptical.

"It's a long shot I know. But I can take a punch to the gut and not get hurt, it'll push the storyline further and it's my way of giving back to the business. If I can help the younger generation then I want too." Adam said, looking him dead in the eyes. He could tell that Triple H was still a bit wary of the whole situation. "Besides since when do you listen to Vince anyways Mr. Rulebreaker?"

Hunter snorted softly and shook his head. "I haven't really done anything that reckless or crazy in a while, Maybe I'm a little overdue for it. Okay, one sucker punch to the gut. None of them touch your neck and you get out of the ring, no bumps. Deal?" Hunter held out his hand. 

A wide smile split Adam's features and he quickly shook his old friend's hand. "You got a deal then." 

"Alright then, let the boys know and maybe let Beth know too, that way she's not surprised," Hunter warned, ignoring the look Adam was giving him. "Don't look at me like that, if anybody knows about dating a coworker it's me. Beth's a good lady, treat her right Adam or you'll have a few locker rooms full of men and women lined up to kick your backside." 

"I'll do my best to do right by her," Adam promised, knowing Hunter had a point. It was in his best interest to let Beth know about what was going down. He didn't want to cause his girlfriend to worry unnecessarily. 

Unsurprisingly he found Beth waiting by the stage, going over her commentary script for the show. He cleared his throat as he approached not wanting to scare her by sneaking up behind her. 

"Hey, Adam." Beth greeted, a loving look entering her gaze. 

"Hey beautiful, I just wanted to tell you that I am doing a little spot with the Undisputed Era, nothing too big. It's just a little gut punch, Hunter said it'd be wise to tell you." Adam said as he reached for her hand. 

Beth laced their fingers and nodded. "Well thank you for letting me know, I probably would have been a little worried. I am excited to see you mix things up in there though, I'll be watching. I'm proud of you." Beth gave his hand a supportive squeeze.

Adam gently tugged her close and kissed her forehead. "I am proud of you too. I know you're going to kill it tonight on commentary, you're so amazing. Good luck tonight babe."

Beth blushed and kissed the underside of his chin. "I'll see you later superstar. Be safe." She whispered, before reluctantly letting go of his hand so she could get to work. She felt like she was on cloud nine.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk about the future

Adam was feeling some sort of way, the crowd reaction had been downright insane when the Undisputed Era attacked him. He couldn’t remember the last time a crowd had popped for him the way that they did earlier in the evening. It reminded him of some of his last matches and the emotional high that he had been on back then. 

“Copeland!”

Adam froze as he heard Vince’s voice. He hesitated for a moment and then slowly turned to find his boss staring at him with a stern look. “Hey, Vince. How's it going, long time no see!” 

“Don't hey Vince me. You're not cleared for any physical contact,” Vince said, folding his arms over his chest. “Look I know you want to wrestle, you want to fight, but I won’t have your death on my hands.” 

“It was just a gut punch, sir. It isn’t all that dangerous.” Adam protested wanting to point out that he did far worse on his movie sets. He didn’t want to have this taken away from him. 

Vince didn’t look all that impressed. “It’s how it starts, a sucker punch here, a simple bump there. I don’t want to see you hurt Adam.” 

“Look, Vince, I know it’s unlikely I’ll get cleared. I hate that I didn’t get to go out on my own terms, if this is a way I can give back to the business and storytelling, please don’t take it from me. Don’t punish Hunter or the other boys, it was my idea.” Adam said, more than willing to take the heat. 

Snorting, Vince shook his head. “Of course, I don’t doubt my knuckleheaded son in law had something to do with this, it seems right up his alley,” Vince muttered. He was usually pretty lenient when it came to Triple H and his wild ideas. Still, the boss didn’t look thrilled with the fact that Adam had put himself in danger. 

“You shouldn’t blame him. It was my fault, I pushed for it.” Adam wasn’t going to let anybody take the blame for his idea. 

Vince regarded him carefully and then sighed. “I know for a fact that when you set your mind to something, you won’t let anything stop you. I know how badly you want this, but please be careful. I hired you to help train the rookies, not to come back and wrestle."

Adam sighed, ducking his head. He didn't want to argue with Vince, he respected the man too much. "I know and I am sorry. I shouldn't have gone behind your back to do the thing." 

"Just don't let it happen again, Adam." Vince clapped him on the shoulder, before stepping back. "I heard a rumor you're dating one of your coworkers." 

Adam swallowed hard, he hadn't expected Vince to know that. "Yeah, I am seeing Beth is that a problem?" 

Vince shook his head. "Nope, just don't fuck it up. She's a good one, and if you mess with her, a lot of the boys will beat you up. She has a lot of loyal friends." 

"If I fuck it up I don't think I would ever forgive myself. She's a bright spot in my life sir and I really care about her." Adam said, shuddering at the idea of hurting Beth. He didn't ever want to break her heart, he really cared about her and wanted to see her happy.

"Good, now get going before I change my mind and decide to fine you," Vince said, dismissing Adam. The old man could be fickle so Adam decided to take that opportunity and head to the locker room. 

\----

Beth could feel Adam’s eyes on her as they sat looking at their menus. He had wanted to go out to eat after the show and she had been more than willing to. Any quality time with Adam was worth it when they both worked such hectic days. However there was a certain glint in his eyes and the longer he stared at her, the more Beth began to feel shy. 

“Do I have something on my face?” Beth asked quietly, pushing her glasses up. Her eyes had been tired after the show so she had taken out her contacts. 

Adam quickly shook his head. “Nope, I was just admiring you. I have to be the luckiest guy in the world right now.” 

Beth blushed and shyly ducked her head. “Well, that’s sweet of you to say. I am not really sure I’m much of a looker right now.” 

“You’re gorgeous, just the way you are. I just think I am super lucky to be sitting here on a date with the girl of my dreams, who loves wrestling as much as I do.” Adam knew he was being cheesy but he couldn’t help it. Just being around Beth like this, having her riding shotgun on the crazy adventure made him feel happy. 

“Okay, now you’re just kissing my ass. What’s gotten into you?” Beth questioned. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate all of the nice things he was saying, she really did. She just didn't understand why he was being so sentimental all of a sudden. 

Adam shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just happy. I know I am not cleared, but it felt right to be in the ring again. It felt as right as me being here with you, it’s that same kind of feeling. It feels like fate or something.” 

Beth cracked a genuine smile and reached around her menu to take his hand. “I feel the same way about you, Adam.” She felt happy being with him, he gave her these insane feelings of butterflies in her stomach. Like her heart might beat right out of her chest because she was so happy. 

“You know Vince gave me the talk today, he basically threatened me and said that if I broke your heart I would be sorry. Apparently half the roster would beat me within an inch of my life.” Adam said lacing their fingers together. 

That actually drew a laugh from the Glamazon. “While I am flattered that Vince thinks so highly of me, I doubt that many people lay a hand on the Rated-R Superstar.” Beth could imagine the other boys giving Adam a hard time. “You don’t plan on breaking my heart do you?”

“Nope, I am definitely not planning on it. I want this to work out Beth, I want the happy ending with you.” Adam promised, lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles. He wanted to be able to plan a future with Beth at his side, riding shotgun. Whether or not he got to actually wrestle again, that didn’t hurt so much if he had a strong and wonderful partner like her. She was definitely his dose of sunshine.

Beth watched him, trying to ignore the stir of emotions that his words caused. No doubt they were probably getting looks from the other people around the restaurant, but she found that she didn't care. "So you talked to Vince?" Beth asked in a way of subject change. She had never been great at taking compliments, they always made her feel nervous and awkward. 

"I kind of got chewed out for getting physical in the ring. Vince is worried I'll get the wrestling bug." Adam said as glanced back at his menu. He was embarrassed to admit that part of his conversation with Vince.

"You know, I think it's a little too late for that. You've never really got over the wrestling bug." She pointed out sympathetically. "Is it possible for you to cleared, I mean is that something you want to pursue?" Beth asked curiously. She wasn't going to push him one way or the other, he had to make that decision for himself. Beth was going to cheer him on no matter what, she wanted him to be able to be happy. As long as he could go to bed each nice, content with his life, then that was all that mattered. 

"Realistically I don't know if I could get cleared. I mean I am in great shape training at the Performance Center, but just because I am in shape, doesn't mean I am in ring shape." Adam pointed out. He had been away from the company and the industry for a while. He wanted nothing more than to wrestle again, the wheels were turning in his head. 

"Adam if this is what you want, then I support you at least taking the initiative to try and get cleared. Obviously I want you happy and healthy, but I also want you to know that I back your play. Whatever you choose to do, I'm on your side." Beth promised, reaching across the table to caress his cheek. 

Adam turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. "I am not sure what the future holds, whether I'll get to wrestle or not, I am just glad I'll have you by my side." 

Beth giggled and shrugged. "I don't know if you could get rid of me. We'll figure it out together." She promised, a loving look in her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to thank my home Nights for helping me come up with the title for this story. Honestly, when I pitched my idea about this and asked if I was crazy, she was the one telling me to go for it. So this story is for Nights.


End file.
